AR Sponsor
Posted: 8/13/2025 2:20:07 PM EDT
| I’m looking for the highest quality most reliable AR chambered in .22lr. This rifle is going to be a trainer for my daughter and also for her defensive use. I have Ruger 10/22 rifles but looking for something that mimics the AR rifle for continuity. I’m considering the S&W 15-22 or HK (Umarex) 416 .22lr currently. I would appreciate suggestions from anyone with experience in the type. |
|
The 15-22 is great! However, it is light. So, if that matters most, I’d go that route. You can also go Tippmann. I also did a pistol on a standard AR lower with a right to bear 4.5 upper and .22lr bolt/carrier. I have an adapter, thinks it’s called Catch-22 that let’s one use 15-22 mags in the standard lower. I like the 15-22 mags better than CMMG or Black Dog because of the side button when loading. However, there are many more options nowadays than ever, so the world is ripe for good selections. |
|
I had considered the M&P 15/22 and Tippman Arms M4 22. I wanted my AR 22 to be quality, reliabe, and accept as much AR parts as possible. Ruled out the M&P 15/22 after I held it. It felt hollow and plastic. Ruled out the Tippman because it uses proprietary mags and the trigger guard couldn’t be changed. I as also considered it’s bolt design, thought the best I’ve seen, wouldn’t be able to gain a strong enough foothold in the market to usher in aftermarket support. If the gun is later discontinued then I’m SOL later. In the end I decided to build my upper with some of the highest parts I could find. Got a Right to Bear upper, Bore Buddy match grade barrel, Bore Buddy bolt and bolt weight kit, BCM rail. My total build came to about $600 for the upper. The rail was used. I had initial concerns about reliability, but after 100 rds it eats everything now. It likes high velocity ammo, but will shoot standard velocity ammo as well. The most surprising part is this thing is supper accurate. I have a Primary Arms 3x prism scope on it and it’s no longer challenging shooting at 50 yrds. It’s my most fun gun now. I say build an upper if you want the most versatility and closest you can get to a 556 while easily accepting all AR aftermarket parts. Lowers are cheap. You gain a lot of knowledge from building as well. |
|
I recently purchased the Tippmann Arms M-4 Elite. Couldn’t be happier. Many after market parts fit. Grips, stock, muzzle devices even trigger. Functional bolt catch, forward assist, all metal. Solid barrel , not sleeved. Dust cover. Yes, proprietary mags. Bought extra and leaving a few unopened for future use. Most 22’s will have unique bolt. First rounds fired out of it were accidentally sub-sonic. Worked flawlessly. Highly recommend. Only real operating difference is the length of the charging handle. |
Joined:
May 2022
Posts:
152
EE: 100% (121)
USA
|
Dedicated AR22 > Conversion AR22 > M&P 15-22 > Tippmann M4-22 > Bear Creek Arsenal > > > > Umarex Guns If it's for serious use absolutely nothing Umarex whether it is a pistol or rifle. Umarex is an airsoft company and all their guns are made of zinc alloy metals. There have been reports of some of their guns literally blowing up from a hot 22lr round. You also won't have a lot of options in regard to replacement parts or upgrades. The M&P is a good starter choice but it's completely made of polymer and the lower is proprietary so you won't be able to change it out if anything happens to it. The AR22 uses the same hardware a regular AR15 uses so no need to pay for proprietary backup or replacement parts. A conversion kit is just a matter of swapping the bolt and magazines out on your current AR15 but you will get less accuracy than you would get from a dedicated AR22. Prolonged use of one can also clog up your gas port but a few rounds of 556 should clear it out. |
Joined:
Jul 2023
Posts:
183
EE: 0% (0)
ME, USA
|
Tippmann M4-22, love mine & shoot it suppressed all the time. Reliable, mostly metal parts, easy to clean, accurate, can swap out parts like trigger, grip, stock, charging handle, etc... I shoot it more than any other firearm it's so fun & accurate. I have a Ruger 10/22 also with Volquartsen barrel & other parts, the Tippmann is still way more accurate, reliable, easier to clean, and more fun to shoot. Tippmann shoots 1/2" groups @ 50 yards with CCI Standard Velocity, I was shooting 2" metal spinner targets @ 100 yards last weekend with Vortex Viper PST 1-6x24 Gen 2 scope and a cheap Caldwell bipod. Bought extra mags so I have (6) 25 round now, will be buying more. |
| What you seek. https://www.righttobear.com/bg-complete-16-22lr-lightweight-upper-receiver-black-15-m-lok-2-cmmg-mags-50-rounds-ammo/ |
"Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms" - Josey Wales
|
As far as expensive dedicated 22 LR AR-15 available today are JP enterprise, Rock River Arms, Keystone Accuracy, Bore Buddy Apogee barrels, Nordic Components, or assemble your own with a barrel of your choice. Beyer Barrels and Bore Buddy barrels get good reviews. I have been satisfied with the accuracy of my two CMMG 16” barrels/uppers and one 16” Right to Bear upper. I use two stage triggers in my AR-15 22’s, Geissele G2S, LaRue MBT 2S and RRA NM. Bore Buddy several different length of AR-15 22 LR barrels. https://borebuddy.com/product-category/barrels/ |
| I would avoid the HK Umarex thing. I bought a "Colt-Umarex" AR22 years ago. Nothing about it was AR except it's appearance. You can't go wrong with the S&W or the Tippman but those of us who like to tinker go for the RTB, Borebuddy, etc. with the CMMG dedicated bolt/barrel. |
Joined:
Jun 2025
Posts:
20
EE: 0% (0)
NC, USA
|
I attacked this from the standpoint of “most options”, and built on a discontinued Tac-Sol upper. Shopping today, I’d go with the https://kriss-usa.com/firearms/rimfire/dmk22-carbine/ Bottom line, your gun should require a rimfire bolt, barrel, and magazine, everything else should be centerfire. At least with the Kriss version you can get it set up with aftermarket 10/22 barrels like the excellent Kidd offerings.https://kriss-usa.com/firearms/rimfire/dmk22-carbine/ |
|
I've got a half-dozen or so of the 15-22s - love them. (For me and this kids, the short 15-22P braced 8" barrel is perfect with the longer handguard and a silencer.) When they first came out, I was like "Ew, plastic, cheap." But then I started shooting them, and saw the truly cheap die cast airsoft models Umarex and others were slapping big brand names on. The MP1522 is great because it's plastic. Doesn't break like cheap zinc or whatever will in similar drops and such. I love the light weight. The mags are darn near perfect. My little trail gun, I sawed off the receiver extention, JB welded a three-slot pic rail on the back, put a Strike folding mechanism on there, 3D printed a TPU buttstock. Little lunchbox SBR goes with me in a backpack when I'm on my brother's ranch looking for varmints.  |
|
If you want the easy button, get a Tippmann. It is better than the MP 15-22, i have had both. Better build quality, accuracy, and compatible with a good bit of ar15 parts. Also has aluminum receivers, not plastic like MP Reliability was good on both. Although the mags for the Tippmann are proprietary, they are well thought out and better quality than the MP mags with the dust cover and metal feed ramps |
|
Imagine you were blindfolded and handed a M&P 15-22, you'd immediately think you were handling a toy gun. It's almost entirely plastic and very easy to tell from the real thing. Conversely if you were handed a Tippman m4-22 most would say it's a real AR15. It is slightly lighter than the real deal, but the fit and finish feels identical a 556 AR. One of the best parts of the tippmann is the mags fit in real AR mag pouches. Most 22 ar pattern mags have a giant tumor on the feed lips that stop them from fitting standard ar mag pouches. If you're looking for an off the shelf solution the tippmann wins and it's not even close. I know this sounds like a tippmann ad, but Im trying to save you the headache of buying the wrong one first. |
|
I have a ruger SR22 that, with good mags, just eats ammo like candy. PITA to take apart but until it's filthy I don't bother. You could probable whack a deer over the head with it and kill it. On the very plus side it's free floated already and there are more upgraded parts [at reasonable price to boot] for 10/22's then about any other .22 semi auto out there. |
Liberals are a curious mix of communism and fascism, they want to destroy you but want to use your own money to do it.
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
|
"Best"... Build or assemble your own. These have the most compatibility with Std. AR Parts / FCG, etc. as well as compatibility with RTB, and some CMMG parts - Commonality is a big ++ Std. AR Upper / Lower + BoreBuddy Barrel / BCG or Borebuddy Match Uppers The Kriss Mags are the most reliable although there are others that work really well too. 2nd choice would be buying a complete from Tippmann. |
There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
Joined:
Sep 2025
Posts:
1
EE: 0% (0)
SD, USA
|
I have a S&W M&P 15 gen 1, and wanted options for the lower I already had... I bought the Rock River Arms 22L0470A 22LR Tactical Carbine upper, runs great, no issues, super accurate... decided I wanted more options, so I also bought the Rock River Arms 450B0587 450 bushmaster 20in upper... after both of these, I decided I didn't care for the M&P 15 gen 1 A2 upper, so I'm building that new upper on my own... FosTech upper receiver, daniel defense 16in 556 barrel, superlative adjustable gas blocks for this and the 450BM upper... a single lower, fits great with all my uppers, and very accurate all around... IMHO a common milspec lower with quality uppers can't be beat... I've got all the options I want for calibers, and now just fine tuning my setups... very happy with my direction... on the RRA 22LR upper, using M&P 15-22 mags, Catch22 mag clip & bolt catch extension, bolt holds open on last round unlike most other options that only catch the bolt on the mag flag/follower (not a true bolt hold open)... functions perfectly, just like the larger calibers... hope this helps... |
|
Tippmann M4-22 has been the best most accurate and most reliable and well thought out .22 AR I’ve ever had. I bought a second one so I have a 16” and an 11”. I’ve messed with dedicated .22 LR uppers and full builds and never really got the accuracy or reliability I’ve had with the Tippmans just shooting 40 gr SV stuff. Tippmann mags are a really cool user friendly design. It’s got some parts compatibility. You can put AR triggers in it That Borebuddy stuff looks pretty nice though M&P 15-22 shouldn’t even be in the same conversation |
|
S&W M&P 15 22 25 ten inch plates 25 yards |
Glock Derangement Syndrome > Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Plastic Fantastic Fanatic.
I love my little pro gun Viking wife.
She has the world's bluest eyes.
Plastic Fantastic Fanatic.
I love my little pro gun Viking wife.
She has the world's bluest eyes.
Joined:
Aug 2024
Posts:
13
EE: 0% (0)
FL, USA
Joined:
Sep 2024
Posts:
9
EE: 100% (2)
NV, USA
|
I guess this thread is a few months old but I am surprised at some of the answers. It’s not that the rifles mentioned are not good but when someone is asking for the best a Tippman nor S&W pops in my mind. It would be hard to outclass a JP Enterprises rifle for a complete setup. Personally I am still in the build it from parts camp. |
"Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience."
|
Originally Posted By Jake1989: Dedicated AR22 > Conversion AR22 > M&P 15-22 > Tippmann M4-22 > Bear Creek Arsenal > > > > Umarex Guns If it's for serious use absolutely nothing Umarex whether it is a pistol or rifle. Umarex is an airsoft company and all their guns are made of zinc alloy metals. There have been reports of some of their guns literally blowing up from a hot 22lr round. You also won't have a lot of options in regard to replacement parts or upgrades. The M&P is a good starter choice but it's completely made of polymer and the lower is proprietary so you won't be able to change it out if anything happens to it. The AR22 uses the same hardware a regular AR15 uses so no need to pay for proprietary backup or replacement parts. A conversion kit is just a matter of swapping the bolt and magazines out on your current AR15 but you will get less accuracy than you would get from a dedicated AR22. Prolonged use of one can also clog up your gas port but a few rounds of 556 should clear it out. I went this rout also with a Spikes ST-22. I dont think they made them for a few years now. It uses a 16" M4 profile barrel in 22LR 1:16 and it sits a little further back in the receiver which gives it a 14.5" profile. All parts besides the barrel and bolt are standard AR15. It uses any 223 cal AR lower. At the time I bought it we were under one of the BIG gun/ammo panics (2008 maybe) and I wanted something I could train with at a lower cost. But the thing runs so smooth and accurate I dont use it for "training" I just love shooting it. |
AR Sponsor